Russian pianist Alexander Ghindin won first prize at the 2007 Cleveland International Piano Competition. From the opening rounds the 30-year-old Ghindin was the clear favorite, as Donald Rosenberg stated in his coverage for The Plain Dealer, “A full week before he won first prize in the 2007 Cleveland International Piano Competition… Russia's Alexander Ghindin leapt to the front of the piano pack." He clinched his victory with a performance of Rachmaninoff No. 3 with the Cleveland Orchestra with Jahja Ling.

Mr. Ghindin’s winnings include the $50,000 Mixon First Prize, a compact disc recording on the Naxos label, a series of engagements under the auspices of the Competition, two years of management service, and a New York recital debut—December 3, 2007 in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Mr. Ghindin graduated from Moscow State P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory after completing master class studies with Professor M.S. Voskrensky in 2001. By the age of 13 he had already won the Moscow Young Pianists’ Competition, and at 14 became youngest ever winner at the 10th International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1994, later gaining Second Prize at Brussels International Reine Elisabeth Competition in 1999.

He subsequently joined the Moscow State Philharmonic as soloist in 1999, and has performed in his native Russia, as well as in Europe and Japan. The numerous ensembles and orchestras he has played with include the London and Munich Philharmonic Orchestras, Orchester der Stadt Freiburg, New Japan Philharmonic, the Philharmonie de Liège, Flemish Radio, the Swedish Royal Festival Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique, Rotterdam Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Orchestre National de Montpellier, Philharmonie de Luxembourgh, Israel Chamber Orchestra, the ’Moscow Virtuosi’, the St. Petersburg "Camerata", Russian National Orchestra etc. The recitals provided the opportunity to work with a wide range of conductors, including Vladimir Fedosseyev, Saulus Sandeczkis, Vasily Sinaysky, Yuri Simonov, Dimitry Kitaenko, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vladimir Spivakov, Vladimir Verbitsky, Paavo Järvi, Alan Gilbert, Leonard Slatkin, Artur Fagen, Tomasso Placidi and Thomas Zanderling.

Alexander Ghindin has played many distinguished venues, such as London’s Barbican, Avery Fisher Hall in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington, Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Salle Gaveau, Théatre des Champs Elysees, and Théatre du Chatelet in Paris, Gasteig in Munich, Rudolfium in Prague, Riksallen in Stockholm, the Teatro Olympico in Rome, the Tel Aviv Opera, the Philharmonic Halls in Warsaw and St. Petersburg, the Moscow Conservatoire, and many others.

In the field of chamber music, Alexander Ghindin has collaborated with Vladimir Spivakov and Nikolay Petrov for many recordings and concerts Alexander Ghindin has recorded 15 CDs, including a recording of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concertos No. 1 and 4 in their original versions with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra led by Vladimir Ashkenazy (2001, on Ondine). He has also appeared on TV and Radio in Russia, Germany, Belgium, Japan, France, Luxembourg, Poland and elsewhere.

Highlights of the 2005-2006 season include the Berlin Symphony Orchestra at the Konzerthaus performing Rachmaninoff No. 4 with Eliahu Inbal, the Tokyo Suntory Hall with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony performing Chopin No. 1. With James de Priest, and the Brussels Palais-des-Beaux performing Rachmaninoff No. 3 with the Orchestre National de Belgique with Jean-Claude Casadesus.

PRESS ACCLAIM

At the Cleveland International Piano Competition:
“Ghindin's ability to build inexorably to peaks and instill the music with kinetic energy, especially in the swaggering finale, created heart-thumping excitement that illuminated Rachmaninoff's impassioned psyche.”

“…an electrifying account of Liszt's Sonata in B minor, which he shaped as the spiritual war of heavenly and diabolical forces that the music insinuates.”

“He has the power and speed of a virtuoso, plus the perception and poise needed to explore the inner workings of a score.”
The Plain Dealer, reviewed by Donald Rosenberg

In Recital at the Kennedy Center:
"Alexander Ghindin is an uncommonly musical pianist…his performance was searching, solemn and clean. The climactic tarantella brought the capacity crowd to its feet."
The Washington Post, reviewed by Tim Page

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 4 at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall:
"Mr. Ghindin gave a clean, incisive, and, yes, rhapsodic account of the piano part."
The New York Times

CD - Scriabin: 24 Preludes, Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 10:
"Every piece is played with inimitable scale, profoundness and dignity. Not only its grandeur, but also the thoughtful attention to fingertips, the strength of pianism attacking every single note, and the battle-tank-like tremendous power, derserves attention." Gramophone

Georgette Hutchins
Mezzo-soprano Georgette Hutchins, a native of Boston, has been a favorite of audiences throughout the east coast and as far west as Oregon. She has sung leading roles with Connecticut Grand Opera, Bronx Opera Company, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Bel Canto Opera, Ocean State Lyric Opera, RI Civic Choral, and the RI Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

Georgette’s operatic roles include  Azucena -Il Trovatore, Dorabella -Cosi fan Tutte, Miss Todd -The Old Maid and the Thief, Witch -Hansel and Gretel, Madame Flora-  The Medium,  Mamma Lucia -Cavalleria Rusticana, Starenka Burya -Jenufa, La Gran’mer -La Vida Breve, Sorceress -Dido and Aeneas, Queen Clementine -Barbe Bleu, Principessa – Suor Angelica, and in the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire she was Dame Hannah –Ruddigore, Ruth-Pirates of Penzance, Lady Sangazure-The Sorcerer and The Duchess – The Gondoliers.

Georgette has been a member of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus as an extra chorister under Maestro James Levine, for the past 11 years and has appeared on the Met stage in performances of Otello, Meistersinger, Orfeo e Euridice, Fidelio, Parsifal, Les Troyens, War and Peace, Benvenutto Cellini, Doktor Faust, The world premier of The First Emporer, etc…as well as  Carnegie Hall in Verdi’s  Manzoni Requiem, Haydn’s Creation.  Other concerts and venues around the city include New York City Opera, St. Vincent Ferrer Church, Trinity Church Wall St. The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, and the internationally acclaimed Gregg Smith Singers with whom she has recorded extensively.

On the local scene, Georgette has sung all over RI including  Blythewold and Linden Place in Bristol, Marble House, Salve Regina, Touro Synagogue and  The Redwood Library in Newport,  Sprague Mansion in Warwick,, The First Baptist Meeting House in America, Veteran’s Auditorium, De Pasquale Square, Brown University, Rhode Island College, Providence College and The Music Mansion in Providence, South County Center for the Arts and the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, among many others and performed with Operartisti for seven years at Paparazzi Ristorante in Garden City, Cranston, RI.

Georgette attended the Phyllis Curtin Seminar at Tanglewood and was a Fellow at the Bach Aria Festival in Stony Brook, NY.

As an adjunct faculty member both at Rhode Island College as well as Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Mass., Georgette finds time to pass on her knowledge and experience to the next generation of singers.   She collaborates on a regular basis with her talented coach and confidante,  Elaine Smith Purcell and continues to passionately pursue her singing career with guidance from her longtime friend and mentor, Internationally acclaimed Soprano Maria Spacagna.

Diana McVey
The young, versatile soprano is an artist whose consummate skills as both a singer and an actress have made her highly visible in opera, oratorio and as soloist with symphony orchestras.  The beauty of her voice and intelligent artistry have also made her a much sought after artist for both the standard repertoire and new works.  She has sung leading roles with Opera Naples, Opera Columbus, Lake George Opera Festival, Ocean State Lyric Opera, the Salt Marsh Opera Company, Boston Academy of Music, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Opera Providence among others.   Her many roles include Violetta in La Traviata, Musetta in La Boheme, Cunegonde in Candide, Elvira in L’Italiana in Algieri, Despina in Così fan tutte, Konstanze in The Abduction from the Seraglio, Olympia in The Tales of Hoffman, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, to name a few.
 
She was an apprentice artist with both the Sarasota Opera Company, where she covered the role of Olympia in The Tales of Hoffman, and the Lake George Opera Festival where she covered the role of Konstanze in The Abduction from the Seraglio. She has appeared as soloist with the Florida West Coast Symphony, the Longwood Symphony, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Albany Symphony, and the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra, among others.  In 2003, Ms. McVey was a finalist in the New England Regional Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and was heard on WGBH, Boston.  
 
In June 2006 Ms. McVey made her Carnegie Hall debut singing Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass, and traveled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for a production of Carmen.  Recent engagements include include a performance of the rarely heard Villa Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No.5 for soprano and eight cellos with the RI College Symphony Orchestra, Strauss’s Four Last Songs with the RI Civic Chorale & Orchestra, productions of Candide and Pirate’s of Penzance with Light Opera Oklahoma, Opera Galas with the Hartford Festival Orchestra and Assumption College, a concert appearance with Copley Chamber Players in Miami, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the RI College Chorus & Orchestra, and a production of La Cenerentola with Opera Columbus.  Upcoming engagements include Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor with Salt Marsh Opera, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi and Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica with Opera Lakeland, and Liu in the Opera Columbus production of Turandot.

Tianxu Zhou
Tianxu Zhou, originally from Beijing, is a conductor, collegiate vocal teacher and international performer throughout Asia and Europe.  Currently he teaches voice at Salve Regina University, Providence College and Rhode Island College where he also conducts the Men’s Chorus. Mr. Zhou also conducts the University Chorus at The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Prior to moving to Massachusetts 4 years ago, Mr. Zhou lived in the Washington D.C. area where he conducted the Loudoun Chorale and taught voice at Shenandoah University. As a singer, he has performed numerous operas with the Washington National Opera under the direction of Placido Domingo in addition to other opera companies here and abroad. He has also performed as a soloist with many reputable orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra with Leonard Slatkin where he was the bass soloist for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Before coming to America in 1996 to obtain a masters degree, Mr. Zhou attended the Central Conservatory in Beijing where he eventually became a tenured professor of voice. Mr. Zhou is also a clinician for many schools and competitions. Most recently he was the guest conductor for the 2006 Tri-County Choral Festival in Southeastern Massachusetts. Some of his more recent performances were the Saint John’s Passion with Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra in Providence, and the tribute concert to Carlisle Floyd in Rhode Island College and performance tour in Italy.

DR. Frederic Scheff
Dr. Scheff is a 1983 graduate of RIC. Recent appearances include  appearances as the tenor soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the RI Civic Chorale amd the Rhode Island College Chorus and Orchestra  as well as the role of Eisenstein in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus for Opera Providence. In addition, he appeared in recital with Stephen Martorella performing Schumann’s Dichterliebe.  Future engagements include  a solo appereance with the RIC Wind Ensemble, performing works of Bernstein and Mahler. He  will be appearing as the tenor soloist in the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra’s preformance of Mozart’s Grand Mass in c minor this coming May. Other recent roles include Turriddu in Cavalaria Rusticana and the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, both for Opera Providence.  A familiar face to area audiences, he has appeared with many local musical organizations, among them, the South County Chamber Singers, Opera Providence, Milton Centre Series, Shalom  Music Series, Operatunity, Operartisti, University of Rhode Island, Wheaton College. Ocean State Light and Lyric Opera Companies, Ocean State Chamber Orchestra, Theater-by-the-Sea, Beavertail Productions, Trinity Repertory Company, Mystic River Choral, Chaminade Opera and the South County Courthouse Players. He has toured the country appearing as Ubaldo Piangi in Sir Andrew LLoyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. He worked with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis  for seven seasons, during which time he appeared in seventeen productions  under such directors as the late Colin Graham, Rhode Levine, Francesca Zambello, Robert Carsen and Linda Brovsky and conductors, Leonard Slatkin, John Nelson, Joseph Rescigno, Hal France, Andrew Litton and Stephen Lord.  He holds his Masters and Doctorate in vocal performance from the University of Kansas. He continues his work in the field of Sacred Music as soloist/section leader at Central Congregational Church of Providence RI and he holds the position of Cantor and Music Director at Temple Shalom of Middletown RI.

MaryAnne Paquin, nicknamed “Mim”, is an up-and-coming classical and operatic soprano on the New York music scene and is quickly being recognized, in the words of Louise Guinther of Opera News, as a “brilliant soprano soloist.”

Born and raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts, MaryAnne moved in 1999 to New York City, where after a few years she became established as a comedic/dramatic actress, as well as a songwriter and composer and voice-over talent. After performing her first off-off-Broadway role in 2000, she was picked out of the ensemble by BackStage Magazine as a “noteworthy comedian with a heart of gold.”

Featured solo performances include Park & Bark Opera, Saint Luke’s Church in Forest Hills, the West Village Chorale, the Cape Cod Chamber Ensemble, Ecclesia Consort of New England. Mim has also lent her talents to Opera for Humanity, The Bristol Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, Chelsea Opera, SONOS Choir and Orchestra. In 2006 she tackled the role of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific with The Orchestra of the Bronx, where she performed opposite her leading man on stage and off, husband Jason Robinette.

It has only been a little over 2 years since Mim refocused on opera and classical vocal performance. She has quickly learned that her years of dramatic and comedic acting, and a variety of vocal performance experiences, dancing, and other performance training, make her a unique commodity in the world of opera. In 2007 MaryAnne became a vocal student of the “Ghost of Hollywood,” Marni Nixon, who described her as “not just a vocalist, but an artist.” More recently MaryAnne has begun coaching opera under the outstanding guidance of Christina Henson, artistic director for Opera for Humanity. Mim discovered that Christina truly has the gift of helping talented artists, as Christina herself
puts it, “get out of their own way”.

Jason Robinette - A tenor often noted as having a clarion voice with a massive presence - has established himself as one of the most sought after musical talents on the NYC and greater New York classical music scene, as well as being an internationally known game designer.

A native of California, Jason started singing in junior high school choirs, simply because it seemed like a fun thing to do. After touring Europe and the Soviet Union with his college choir, Jason was definitely hooked.

He left California to continue his vocal performance training at The Juilliard School and has since appeared in roles with Bronx Opera, Orchestra of the Bronx, and the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera. He has appeared in solo performances with the Grace Church Choral Society, as well as Carnegie Hall performances with the Manhattan Chorale, New York Choral Artists, and with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at Lincoln Center.

Hailed by critics as a violinist that “has the power to captivate the five senses of her audience” La Vanguardia (Spain), and described as a “charismatic violinist who possesses, along with her musical talent and tremendous aura, a gift for expression” Neue Press (Germany), Eva León has become one of the most successful Spanish violinists of her generation.

A native of the Canary Islands, Eva León has won the major Spanish violin competitions, taking top prize at the Michaelangelo Abbado International Violin Competition, and Laureate at The Maria Canals International Violin Competition. In 2006, Eva León won the 33rd Artists International Annual Debut Prize which led to her debut at New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall.

Ms. León has successfully appeared on tour throughout the United States and Europe to great audience and critical acclaim. She has performed in such venues as the National Auditorium in Madrid and the Palau de la Música de Barcelona. A few of the many orchestras with whom she has performed internationally as a soloist include the Mexico State Symphony Orchestra, the Moldavia National Philharmonic Orchestra, the Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic, the Castilla y León Symphony, the Bratislava Chamber Orchestra, the Champaign-Urbana Symphony, the Galesburg Symphony, the Alter Musici Camerata, the Gran Canaria Philharmonic, the Del Empordà Chamber Orchestra, the Del Vallès Symphony, the Cologne Ensemble Orchestra, among others.

No stranger to the recording studio, Ms. León recorded her debut CD for the Moraleda record label and will be recording her second CD in May of 2007 for the renowned NAXOS record label. She has also done numerous recordings for TV and for radio including the American National TV, Spanish National TV, Japanese National TV, Catalunya TV, the American National Radio, the Mexico National Radio, Spanish National Radio, and Catalunya Radio.

Eva León currently resides in New York City where she participates actively in its vibrant music scene while continuing with her busy international performance schedule as a soloist with orchestras and as a chamber musician.

Richard Stoltzman's virtuosity, musicianship and sheer personal magnetism have made this two-time GRAMMY Award®-winner one of today's most sought-after concert artists. As soloist with more than a hundred orchestras, as a captivating recitalist and chamber music performer, and as an innovative jazz artist, Stoltzman has defied categorization, dazzling critics and audiences alike throughout many musical genres. A prolific recording artist, Stoltzman’s acclaimed recordings can be heard on BMG/RCA, SONY Classical, MMC, NAXOS and other labels, and include the GRAMMY®-winning recordings of Brahms Sonatas with Richard Goode and Trios of Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart with Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma, as well as Hartke’s “Landscapes with Blues”, a New York Times “Best of 2003”, and Rautavaara’s Clarinet Concerto on Ondine.